Monday 27 August 2012

We are all Hamza Alkhateeb: The complete massacre of the Damascus suburb of DARAYA. This video documents the genocide and the massacre that was committed by the Assad sectarian militias on Sunday, August 26 2012. More than three hundred civilians were slaughtered by knives or shot on head from a short distance…

• The dead include 95 unarmed civilians, 19 unidentified bodies, 26 rebel fighters, 2 defected soldiers, and no less than 31 members of the Syrian regular forces.95 Unarmed Civilians:-In Reef Dimashq province 30 civilians were killed. 8 civilians (3 children, 2 women and 3 civilian men) were just killed by the regime’s dawn bombardment on the town of Kafar Batna, Reef Dimashq. 12 civilians, including children, were killed by the regimes brutal bombardment on the town of Zamalka. A child was killed by the bombardment on Irbeen. 5 civilains, including a child and an unidentified body, were killed by the bombardment on Saqba, Harasta, al-Maliha, Hazza, and Sayyeda Zeinab. 1 was killed by a sniper in the Neshabiya village. The body of a civilian, killed 4 days ago by a sniper, was recently found in the town of Mou’adamiya. 1 civilian died of wounds from the bombardment on al-Zabadani. A woman was killed by the bombardment on Hteitat al-Jarash.

  ***19 unidentified bodies were found in Reef Dimashq: 7 unidentified bodies were found in the city of Daraya today. 12 unidentified bodies were found in the town of Mou’adamiya, Reef Dimashq***

  -In Dera’a 27 civilians were killed. In the town of al-Hirak 11 people were killed, 9 killed by the military operations, and 2 unidentified bodies were found in the town. 2 children and a woman were killed by the bombardment on the towns of Um Walad and al-Teeba. 1 civilian was killed when regime forces stormed the town of Inkhil after midnight. 4 were killed in the city of Dera’a: 1 civilian was killed when a rocket fell on the al-Qusoor neighbourhood; 2 civilians men and a woman were killed by regime gunfire in the city. 7 civilians, including children were killed by the regime bombardment on the town of al-Jeeza; 1 civilain was killed by a sniper in the town.

  -In Damascus province 9 civilians were killed. 4 were killed in the Jobar neighbourhood: 2 were killed by the bombardment, 1 by a sniper and a woman was killed by the clashes that took place in the neighbourhood. 5 civilians were shot and killed at point-blank range by regime forces in the Qaboun neighbourhood of Damascus.

  -In Aleppo province 10 civilians were killed. A child was killed by regime fire in the city of Aleppo. 3 civilians were killed by the bombardment on the neighbourhoods of al-Quseila. A civilian from Reef Aleppo was shot dead by regime forces in the city. 5 civilains (2 men, 2 women, 1 child) were killed by the regime bombardment on the town of al-Khenfseh.

  -In Homs province 7 civilians were killed. 2 children were killed by the bombardment on the town of al-Houla. 1 was killed by the bombardment on Deir Ba’alba neighbourhood of Homs. 1 civilian from Teir Ma’ala village was tortured to death. A civilian from the city of al-Rastan was shot and killed by regime forces while he was recuperating in a hospital in Hama. A civilian from al-Buweida al-Sharqiya was killed by a sniper in the Tadamun neighbourhood of Damascus. A child from the city of Homs was killed by the bombardment on Ein Terma, Reef Dimashq.

  -In Deir Izzor province 5 civilians were killed. A man and his son were killed by the regime bombardment on the Jam’iyat neighbourhood, city of al-Boukamal, at dawn. 3 civilians were killed by the bombardment on the town of al-Kharita, Reef Deir Izzor.

  -In Idlib province 4 civilians were killed. 1 was killed by a sniper in the city of Ariha. A child was killed by the bombardment on Jisr al-Shughour. 1 civilian was killed by the bombardment on the village of Mer’end, Reef Idlib. A civilain from the town of Jozef, Reef Idlib, was killed by pro-regime gunmen in Dahiyat Qudseyya, Reef Dimashq.

  -In Hama province 3 civilians were killed. A man and his wife were killed when regime forces stormed the town of Qal’at al-Madiq. 1 civilains from the village of Abu al-Hanaya was tortured to death.

  —–

  26 Rebel fighters:

  Idlib province: 10 rebel fighters were killed during clashes with regime forces.

  Reef Dimashq province: 8 rebels killed. 5 rebel fighters were killed by the bombardment on Irbeen. 1 rebel was killed by bombardment. 2 rebel fighters were killed in the city of Douma, 1 was a rebel leader; they were targeted by a regime ambush.

  Damascus: 5 rebels killed. 4 rebel fighters were killed during clashes in the Jobar neighbourhood of Damascus. 1 rebel fighter was killed by the bombardment on the Qaboun neighbourhood.

  Aleppo province: 1 rebel fighter was killed during clashes in the Saif al-Dawla neighbourhood of Aleppo.

  Hama province: 2 rebels killed. A rebel leader was killed during clashes in Qal’at al-Madiq. 1 rebel fighter was killed in clashes in the al-Huweiz village.

  —–

  2 defected soldiers were killed during clashes in Reef Idlib.

  No less than 31 members of the Syrian armed forces were killed, including an officer, were killed when a helicopter was hit, when military vehicles were targeted, and during clashes in the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Reef Dimashq, Idlib, Hama, Damascus.

  …

  NOW! Lebanon
  [local time]  22:05 The United States said Monday that the Syrian opposition’s first priority should be to coordinate and set a democratic path after France called for the quick formation of a provisional government.
   20:59 The death toll in Syria on Monday reached 202 people, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   20:31 The bodies of 20 people who had been summarily executed were discovered in Al-Mouadamiyyeh in the Damascus district, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   20:27 The shelling of Sahel al-Ghab in the Hama district by Syrian regime forces killed ten people and injured dozens, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   20:27 One person was killed and others injured in the shelling of Edleb’s Kafr Nabel by Syrian regime forces, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   20:19 French President Francois Hollande warned Monday that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a legitimate reason for a foreign intervention.
   20:09 Syrian security forces shelled Damascus’ Al-Hajar al-Aswad, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   19:56 UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was “shocked” by a massacre Saturday in  Daraya, and demanded an independent inquiry into the incident, AFP reported on Monday.
   19:07 The Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Aleppo has fled to Lebanon and his offices in the war-ravaged city have been looted, Vatican media said on Monday, amid fears over the fate of Christian minorities.
   18:43 Monday’s death toll in Syria rose to 129 people, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   17:47 Reports of a massacre near Damascus that left hundreds dead are the latest evidence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “wanton disregard for human life,” the White House said Monday.
   17:45 Casualties were reported following raids by Syrian regime warplanes on Al-Jiza in Daraa, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   17:24 Suggestions that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down are “completely unacceptable,” Syria’s minister tasked with talking to the opposition said in Tehran on Monday.
   17:16 Turkish media on Monday relayed the video of a Turkish journalist missing in neighboring Syria for a week and reportedly being held by troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
   16:56 Syrian security forces have killed 113 people so far, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   16:20 Syrian opposition activists have drafted a political roadmap after a possible ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, drawing on examples from other states that moved to democracy. The report will be released Tuesday.
   16:08 The death toll in Syria rose to 93 people, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   15:49 Jordan and the UN Children’s Fund issued separate appeals on Monday urging financial help for a growing number of Syrian refugees flooding the country, including children who UNICEF says are “suffering most.”
   15:44 Twenty people were killed in the shelling of the town of Zamalka in the Damascus district, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying on Monday.
   15:16 Syrian regime forces’ fighter jets bombed the town of Ariha in Edleb, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   15:05 Syria’s Monday death toll increased to 81 people killed by Syrian regime forces, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   11:43 Syrian security forces killed at least 31 people on Monday, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   11:40 AFP reported on Monday that the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigade claimed the downing helicopter in Damascus.
   11:18 Some 7,000 Syrian refugees have massed on the border with Turkey, waiting for more camps to be set up to accommodate those fleeing the fighting in Syria, a Turkish diplomat told AFP on Monday.
   10:14 A Syrian helicopter crashed in eastern Damascus on Monday, state television said, amid reports of shelling and fierce fighting in the area.
   9:45 A string of explosions were heard in Damascus on Monday, an AFP correspondent said, adding that the blasts began at around 6 a.m.
   9:36 At least 14 more bodies have been found in the town of Daraya near Damascus after activists reported a gruesome “massacre” there in a five-day assault by regime forces, a watchdog said on Monday.
   9:33 The Free Syrian Army shot down a regime helicopter in Damascus, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   9:11 Syrian forces killed 260 people on Sunday and 19 people on Monday, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
   9:04 Syrian forces’ helicopters shelled Damascus’ neighborhoods of Baraza and Jawbar on Monday, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
   8:30 MORNING LEADER: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday the foreign “conspiracy” against his country would be defeated, as his forces were accused of a bloody rampage in a town near Damascus that left hundreds dead.
  …
  BBC: Syria helicopter down in Damascus

  A Syrian helicopter comes down in the capital Damascus, state television reports, with rebels claiming they shot it down.

  The Free Syrian Army said the aircraft had been firing at people in the north-eastern district of Jobar, and that it had crashed in neighbouring Qabun.

  State television confirmed that a helicopter had come down in Qabun.

  Activists said regime forces killed at least 37 people in the suburbs of Damascus through army shelling and helicopter attacks.

  There has been an outcry over allegations that government forces killed more than 300 people during an assault on the south-western suburb of Darayya.

  Unverified video footage and photographs have emerged over the weekend showing scores of bodies, including those of women and children.

  Abu BakrOpposition activist

  State media blamed the opposition for the killings and said Darayya had been “cleansed of terrorist remnants”.

  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was shocked by reports of “an appalling and brutal crime”.

  He called for an independent inquiry into the allegations.

  Meanwhile French President Hollande has urged Syrian opposition groups to form a provisional government.

  He told a meeting of French ambassadors that France would recognise the government as “the legitimate representative of the new Syria”.

  Military offensive

  According to opposition activists, the military helicopter was shot down as it was bombarding Jobar, as heavy fighting broke out between rebels and government forces.

  Witnesses told the Reuters news agency the helicopter burst into flames after being hit by a projectile during an exchange of fire and crashed in a narrow residential street in Qabun.

  President Francois Hollande: “France will recognise the provisional government of the new Syria as soon as it is formed”

  “It was flying overhead the eastern part of the city and firing all morning. The rebels had been trying to hit it for about an hour, and finally they did,” said Abu Bakr, a local activist.

  Activists posted video footage online which appears to show a burning helicopter crashing to the ground. Rebels can be heard shouting: “Allahu Akbar (God is greatest).”

  State TV confirmed that a helicopter had crashed near the al-Ghufran mosque in Qabun, though it did not say if it had been shot down.

  A spokesman for the FSA’s Badr Battalion in Damascus, Omar al-Qabuni, told the AFP news agency that the body of the pilot had been found.

  “It was in revenge for the Darayya massacre,” he added.

  The FSA also claimed to have shot down a Mig-23 fighter jet on 13 August in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

  The helicopter appears to have been taking part in an increasingly fierce attempt by government forces to regain control of the capital’s suburbs, and heavy clashes are said to have erupted after it came down.

  On Sunday, military helicopters were firing rockets at Jobar and the neighbouring districts of Zamalka and Irbin, activists said.

  Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad has reiterated his claim that a “foreign” conspiracy is behind the uprising in Syria and promised that he would not allow it to succeed “whatever the price might be”.

  “What is happening right now is not just a plot directed against Syria but the region as a whole, of which Syria is a foundational stone,” he was quoted as saying by the state news agency, Sana.

  …

   Reuters: Syrian helicopter crashes under fire in Damascus

  AMMAN/ALEPPO – A Syrian military helicopter crashed in flames under rebel fire in Damascus on Monday, and a government warplane fired rockets at targets on the capital’s outskirts for what rebels said was the first time. | Video

  U.N. chief Ban shocked by Syria massacre, condemns crime:UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was shocked by reports of a massacre in a town close to Syria’s capital and condemned it as “an appalling and brutal crime” that should be independently investigated immediately, his spokesman said on Monday…

  Turkey says world must share Syrian refugee burden: ANKARA – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday called for more help from other countries with a growing Syrian refugee crisis and said Ankara would stress this at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria later this week…

  …

  Guardian: François Hollande calls on Syrian rebels to form provisional government

  Move reveals differences with UK and US, which have been more guarded in their dealings with Syrian opposition groups

  The French president, François Hollande, has urged Syria‘s divided opposition to form a provisional government, saying that Paris would give it official recognition.

  The announcement on Monday was aimed at increasing pressure on Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, but also revealed differences with other western capitals. Washington and London have been more guarded in their dealings with Syrian opposition groups which they see as too fractured and ineffective to form an alternative government.

  “France asks the Syrian opposition to form a provisional government, inclusive and representative, that can become the legitimate representative of the new Syria,” Hollande said, at a meeting of French ambassadors at the presidential palace. “France will recognise the provisional government of Syria once it is formed.”

  The Socialist president went on: “We are including our Arab partners to accelerate this step”, but did not say whether he had their agreement. The Arab League is trying to encourage opposition factions to sign up to a common transition plan for a post-Assad Syria but the main exile group, the Syrian National Council (SNC), has been reluctant to take part, fearing a dilution of its influence.

  While Britain and the US have distanced themselves from the SNC, seeking closer ties with internal rebel elements, France has remained a strong backer.

  Egypt’s new leader, Mohamed Morsi, has launched his own peace initiative in an effort to break the deadlock at a time of rising death tolls across Syria. He is due in Iran on Thursday in a significant sign of rapprochement between the two countries, and a step towards bridging Sunni-Shia differences in policy towards Damascus.

  Morsi’s participation at the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries in Tehran will mark the first visit by an Egyptian leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and a substantial change from the foreign policy of the late dictator, Hosni Mubarak. Morsi will stay only a few hours in what will be largely a symbolic trip, but from Cairo’s point of view it is intended to lay the foundations for a regional effort to stem deepening violence in Syria.

  His proposal, first put forward at a meeting this month in Mecca of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, is to form a contact group made up of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran, bringing together the most powerful Sunni backers of the Syrian rebels with Assad’s only significant ally in the region, the Shia regime in Tehran. All four countries initially agreed to hold a foreign ministers meeting in Cairo this week, diplomats said, but it was postponed because of the NAM summit in Iran.

  Before his Tehran trip, the Egyptian leader is due to hold talks in Beijing on Tuesday with the Chinese government which has hitherto supported Russia in opposing punitive measures against the Assad regime at the UN security council.

  “Part of the mission is in China, part of the mission is in Russia and part of the mission is in Iran,” Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali, said. It is not clear whether or when the Egyptian president will visit Russia as part of the initiative. Western officials say any attempt to broker peace in Syria will hinge on the role of Moscow, the Assad regime’s principal sponsor and arms supplier. They argue that without Russian pressure, Assad is unlikely to give up his efforts to crush the insurgency.

  The Hollande offer to recognise the opposition also faced daunting odds, given the failure of previous efforts to bring the rebels together. Peter Harling, a Syria expert at the International Crisis Group, said that after the failure of the UN and Arab League to make any diplomatic progress, any effort is worthwhile when hundreds of casualties are reported daily.

  “Given how desperate the situation is and the need for some movement on the political front it’s a welcome initiative,” Harling said. “In the past, the US opposed any participation of Iran in the contact group, but it makes sense to include Iran in any negotiated transition. Tehran has much to lose, and it can cause damage in the region if it is excluded. It is just diplomatic common sense.”

  Assad met Iranian officials in Damascus on Sunday and was quoted on Syrian state media as saying his regime would carry on fighting “whatever the price.” The intensity of the fighting has dramatically increased in recent weeks culminating in a government offensive on Daraya on the south western edge of Damascus.

  Various opposition claims have put the death toll in the town at between 300 and 600, many of them civilians, from three days of heavy shelling and then a group attack on Saturday, when troops and allied militiamen when from door to door.

  If the reports are verified, it would be the worst massacre of the 17-month long conflict, which began in March last year with mostly peaceful anti-regime protests. Official restrictions on independent press coverage make it hard to confirm the casualty figures but independent witnesses spoke of seeing scores of bodies in the town and video footage which emerged yesterday showed mass burials.

  Video footage from Damascus showed a Syrian military helicopter fall to the ground in flames. The Syrian official news agency confirmed the crash but gave no details.As the civil war continued to intensify, 9,000 Syrian refugees were yesterday reported to be stuck at the Turkish border unable to cross because of a shortage of accomodation. Turkish officials said that new shelters should be ready for them over the course of the coming week and that they would meanwhile be given humanitarian relief supplies on the Syrian side of the border.